Cellphone taps lead to 22 arrests last year in Japan

Police wiretapped mobile phones in 10 investigations last year and the eavesdropping led to the arrest of 22 people, a Justice Ministry report to the Diet showed Friday. The 10 investigations involved narcotics trafficking, underworld-conspired murder and gun possession, three of the four areas in which courts issue wiretapping warrants. All 22 arrests involved drug-trafficking cases, according to the report.The police obtained warrants for each instance of cellphone-tapping, allowing them to listen to conversations and read text messages.